Okay so I'm mostly writing this for my own amusement so i don't really expect any of you to like my story. i posted it mostly on a whim. now i do plan on having Eleta end up with Draco, but since this is their first year and she isn't too fond of our favorite Slytherin at this point, not much will happen. all the same you're more then welcome to read this, and i wouldn't mind any flames so long as you tell the reasoning behind them.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, which should be obvious

Hogwarts, place of witchcraft and wizardry. A place any witch or wizard would be lucky to attend. One of those witches is a girl by the name of Eleta Evelyn James. Eleta walked down the corridors of the Hogwarts Express, trying to find a place to sit. She probably would have gotten there earlier if it had not been for the fact that she had to take the bus, she thought absently as she looked into another compartment door window. Seeing as it only had two boys in it, she slid the door open a bit and peeked her head around.

"Would you mind I sat with you?"

"y-yeah sure" the boys stammered out. She smiled and walked in closing the door behind her as she took a seat next to the boy with glasses.

"I'm Eleta James, oh! And this is Brasil" she told them pointing at a handsome white cat with green eyes that had jumped up onto her lap.

"Ron Weasley." the boy with red hair said as he shook her hand enthusiastically. When Ron let go of her hand the second boy spoke up

"I'm Harry Potter."

Eleta's eyes widened a bit before she smiled and shook his hand (though not nearly as long as Ron had). It was quiet for a few minutes before Harry spoke up.

"So are all your family wizards?" He directed the question to the both of them, though Ron spoke up first.

"Err- yes I think so, I think my mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

The two of them looked at Eleta

"Oh I'm not really sure. All the family members I know about are all witches and wizards" she answered

"So you both must know loads of magic already"

Eleta shook her head and Ron did a shrug like nod.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles, What are they like?" Ron asked

"Horrible- well not all of them just my aunt and uncle and cousin. Wish I had three wizard brothers"

Eleta had assumed that this was something that they were talking about before she had interrupted them

"Five," Ron corrected, looking gloomy for some unknown reason to Eleta. She would have thought having a sibling would be fun.

"I'm the sixth of the family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left -Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat" Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat

"He's name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad from being made a prefect, they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead" Ron's ears went pink and he turned his head back to the window, thinking he had said enough. Eleta didn't really see what he was embarrassed about, there nothing wrong in not being able to afford an owl or anything, they were expensive. Harry must have thought so too for he told him so. He also started telling him about having to wear his cousin's old clothes and never getting any birthday presents, which seemed to cheer Ron up.

"...And until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or about Voldemort-" Harry was cut off by Ron who gasped and jumped a bit. Harry quickly looked over at Eleta, who was watching Ron amused, and then back to Ron

"What?"

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" he answered sounding impressed and shocked at the same time. "I'd have thought that you of all people-"

"I'm not trying tobe brave or anything" Harry interrupted "I just didn't know I shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn...I bet I'm the worst in the class"

Eleta shook her head "nah, there's loads of students that come from Muggle homes and they do fine." She reassured her voice taking on a bouncy tone. After this reassurance they continued to talk for sometime, before a woman opened their door, smiling

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Harry instantly leapt to his feet, and was closely followed by Eleta, but Ron stayed seated muttering something about having sandwiches. Eleta stood next to Harry and watched his excited face turn confused. She laughed

"This is what we have in the wizarding world. You won't find any Twix here...though I wish you could... they're my favorite Muggle candy" she told him as she pick out some Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She paid the lady and went back into their compartment, followed by Harry who-by the looks of it- bought some of everything. Eleta flopped down beside Ron and dropped her haul onto her lap.

"Hungry, are you?" Ron asked as he looked at both of Eleta and Harry's piles. Eleta smiled and nodded her head quickly. She didn't have enough time to eat breakfast so she was starving. Harry sat down next to Eleta and looked at Ron who began to open his sandwiches.

"She always forgets I don't like corned beef"

"Swap you for one of these." Harry said holding up one of his Pumpkin Pasties.

"You don't want this, it's all dry, she hasn't got much time, you know with five of us"

"Go on, have a pasty" Harry encouraged. Eleta looked over at Ron and smiled, her cheeks slightly puffed from the Licorice Wands in her mouth.

"You can have whatever you want of mine too," then continued when he offered her one of his sandwiches "No thanks, I'm a vegetarian"

"What are these?" Harry asked after a while, looking at a Chocolate frog "they're not really frogs, are they?"

Eleta and Ron both shook they're heads, though it was Ron who spoke seeing as Eleta hadn't bothered to swallow her previous licorice wands and now had her cheeks stuffed to their limits

"No, but see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa"

"What?"

"Chocolate Frogs," Eleta started after she swallowed her candy dramatically "each come with a card that has a famous witch or wizard on them that you can collect."

"I've got about five hundred" Ron added

Eleta watched as he opened the package and pulled the card out.

"It moved!" Harry gasped as he saw the small picture of Dumbledore move it's head from side to side.

"Yeah, all the pictures move"

Ron looked around Eleta so he could see Harry properly; looking baffled "you mean the pictures in the Muggle world don't move?"

"No they pretty much stay still" Harry answered still looking at the card in surprise. Ron and Harry continued to talk for a while longer about pictures- Eleta was watching them, stuffing her face with Chocolate Frogs, having finished off most of her Licorice wands- before Ron changed the subject to his rat.

"George gave me a spell that'll turn him yellow, wanna see?"

Eleta's eyebrows furrowed a bit. Not that she thought that Ron was stupid or anything, but to turn an animal anything was difficult and not many first years could do it.

"Yeah!" Harry grinned and scooted forward so he could see Ron. Ron took out his wand and was about to say the spell that would turn his rat yellow when the compartment door slide open

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." A girl said. She had a thick and bushy mane of brown hair, somewhat large teeth, and she was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes.

"Nope, Brasil would be sure to notice a toad jumping around" Eleta answered, pointing to Brasil who was sitting at her feet, though the girl didn't seem to be listening as she was staring at Ron's wand

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then." The girl told Ron, almost demandingly as she took a seat.

"Er – alright"

Ron cleared his throat, slightly nervous at his new audience member

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

Eleta watched and almost winced when nothing happened as she had a feeling that the girl with the bushy hair was going to say something about it

"Are you sure that a real spell? Well it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and they've all worked for me. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got the letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard- I've learned our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" Hermione said in a rush of words, that made Eleta's head swim.

"I'm Eleta James."

"I'm Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter"

"Are you really? I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" Harry asked the girl in a daze.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me, do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad….anyway, I'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon" she turned and left, leaving Eleta with her stomach crawling. She had almost forgotten that she had to be sorted into a house. She knew for a fact that it if she wasn't in Slytherin her parents would be furious. Though her stomach was twisting and turning in fear, there was a part of her that wanted to be placed in anything other then Slytherin; just to get her parents mad, and so that there was proof –not matter how small- that she wasn't like her family. It seemed like from the moment she was born that she was doing things to enrage her parents. At least that's how her mother had put it; she had said that when she was born they had had a sinking suspicion that she was going to be trouble. How else would you explain the white hair and blue eyes, when everyone else in the family had the darkest of hair and cold black eyes?

"Eleta? You alright? You look pale."

Eleta snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Harry, managing to put a smile on.

"I'm always pale Harry, but sorry that I spaced out there. What were we talking about?"

"Well I just asked what your Quidditch team is." Ron said slowly, still looking at Eleta suspiciously.

"Oh I like the Bulgarians"

Ron, having liked her answer turned to Harry

"Er—I don't know any,"

"What! Oh you wait, it's the best game in the world—" Eleta tuned them out for the most part, seeing as Ron started explaining how the game worked, how to play, the rules, and every other thing that had to do with Quidditch. Eleta had been looking out the window, half listening to the boys for some time when the compartment door opened yet again. Eleta looked to the door and saw three boys standing there. Two of them looked like bodyguards and truth be told more then a little on the stupid side. The third however looked sly and smart. The third boy reminded Eleta almost of a fox but his cool, perhaps cold, appearance reminded her of a snake.

"Is it true?" the third boy asked "they're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, isn't it?"

"Yes" Harry answered, looking at the two boys standing behind the third.

"Oh this is Crabbe and Goyle, and my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron sniggered, but tried to cover it with a cough.

"Think my name's funny do you? No need to ask who you are. My father's told me all Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children then they can afford." Draco sneered at Ron before turning back to Harry

"You'll soon find out some Wizarding families are better then others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there" Draco offered Harry his hand, but Harry didn't take it

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort is for myself, thanks"

Eleta watched as Draco's pale skin tinged pink.

"I'd be careful if I were you Potter, unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you"

Harry, Ron, and surprisingly Eleta stood up quickly. But what was even more surprising was that Eleta stood forward, a fierce glare on her face.

"Oh? And your daddy and mommy knew what was good for them? Being flea bitten dogs of Voldemort?" she spat. Draco and the rest looked at her in surprise both at her tone and the fact that she said You-Know-Who's name, but Draco recovered quickly; as did Harry and Ron. Ron and Harry walked forward so that they were all standing next to each other

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Draco asked noticing Harry and Ron walk forward, for the moment forgetting Eleta's insult.

"Unless you get out now." Harry told them, glaring

"But we don't feel like leaving do we boys? We've eaten all our food-"

"Yeah, we can see that much." Eleta crossed her arms as she looked Crabbe and Goyle up and down. Crabbe stepped toward Eleta, fist raising but stopped short as Brasil launched himself from Eleta's shoulder and onto Crabbe's face, yowling and clawing. The other two screamed and ran out as Crabbe flung Brasil off his face, and followed behind them.

"And get your face looked at, my cat has rabbis!" Eleta yelled after them laughing. She crouched down next to Brasil –who had landed on his feet- and scratched behind his ears.

"Good job"

"So what was that about his parents being dogs of Voldemort?" Harry asked making Ron jump. Eleta shook her head.

"Everyone knows about it. After Voldemort disappeared they were just some of the first to come back to our side saying that they were bewitched the whole time. It's a load of bull. Anyone in their right mind would have known that they were doing it of their own free will," Eleta smiled almost bitterly "but being rich can go along way and make people over look things"

Ron looked at Hermione, who had come in to see what the ruckus was about "can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting have you? You'll be expelled before we even get there!"

"Brasil's been fighting, not us," Ron said, scowling "would you mind leaving while we change?"

"Alright—I only came in here because people are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." She turned to leave but stopped at the door and looked at Ron "and you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

And with that she left. Eleta turned and went into her trunk pulling out her robes. She slipped them on, not bothering to button them up so that her black shirt, red plaid skirt, and combat boots showed.

A little while latter a voice echoed through the train saying that they were going to arrive shortly and to leave their luggage on the train; it would be brought up separately. Eleta felt a jolt of nerves shoot through her, but calmed down some more as she saw that Harry and Ron looked just as nervous. The train slowed to a stop and everyone started to push themselves outside, the three getting swept outside as well to the sound of a man shouting.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" the man asked, as he spotted Harry, beaming down at him.

"c'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me"

Once the first years crowded around the man –who Eleta assumed was Hagrid by both the way Malfoy was staring at him in disgust and how he had known Harry- he lead them down a steep narrow path. By how dark it was on either side of the path and the rustling of leaves, Eleta thought that there must be trees surrounding them. It was almost eerily silent except for the boy that had lost his toad, Neville, who kept sniffling and the sound of their feet.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a second," Hagrid called over his shoulder. As they went around a bend in the path there was a loud "Oooooooh!"

Though Eleta was one of the few who didn't gasp in awe, she had to admit that the castle wasn't like anything she had ever seen. It was massively huge, and dark yet it had an odd comforting feel. Like it was home.

"No more then four to a boat!" Hagrid called, causing Eleta to look away from the castle sitting in the distance. Eleta, Harry, and Ron got into one boat and was soon followed by Neville. Hagrid checked if everyone was in a boat and then shouted 'forward' making the small boats move toward the castle. Eleta took the time to stare up at it, as well as the black lake they moved across.

She was so busy looking at everything that she hadn't heard Hagrid yell the warning for them to duck. Luckily enough for Eleta though, Harry hadbeen paying attention and managed to push Eleta's head down just before she wacked it against the cliff the castle was built on. Eleta only laughed lightly, smiling at Harry.

"Thanks Harry."

He smiled back, before getting out of the boat. Eleta and the others followed, and after Neville was reunited with his toad, Hagrid and the cluster of first years made their way to the front door.